Allergy Testing Could Pinpoint What Ails You

Amy Dane and daughter, Shyla, with the allergist

After repeated trips to her family doctor and outpatient clinics, Patricia Turner decided to take matters into her own hands and get tested for seasonal allergies.

Turner, who’d started having symptoms last spring, was tired of the inconvenience and of people around her thinking she had some kind of bug.

“You’re sneezing and coughing, and people are like, ‘Oh, my gosh, you’ve got the flu or something,’ ” said Turner, 48, of Louisville.

Skin testing helped to determine that allergies to pollen, as well as other things, were indeed contributing to Turner’s symptoms, so she’s now receiving allergy shots at Family Allergy & Asthma in Louisville.

Dr. Mark Corbett, who practices at Allergy Care of Kentucky, said he recommends testing “if you really want to confirm what your allergens are and indeed (that) that’s what’s really going on.”

If you’re taking medication that doesn’t seem to be working or you would like to find a way to cut back on your medications, testing might be recommended as well, said Corbett, past chair of the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.

Both adults and children can be tested, and in some cases, it leads to treatment that prevents patients’ health from worsening, said Dr. Stephen J. Pollard, a Louisville allergist and researcher who’s the co-founder of Family Allergy & Asthma. For example, after being tested, a child may be put on allergy shots (immunotherapy) to halt the progression from rhinitis, or inflammation of the mucous membranes, to asthma.

“Every asthmatic should be tested” for allergies, Pollard said.

People who think they have allergies and have now started to develop complications, such as sinus infections and ear infections, are good candidates as well, Pollard said.

A common form of skin testing, sometimes called the prick-puncture test, is conducted by making a series of small pricks on the back to expose the patient to trace amounts of allergens, such as pollen, mold and dust mites.

Corbett likens it to “taking a toothpick and just poking on your back a little bit,” then waiting about 15 minutes to see if the skin reacts.

MedX12 employee, Amy Dane, recently took her 6 month old daughter, Shyla, to an allergist for this same testing and found out she was allergic to several things which were causing her to show various symptoms. “It is definitely a good idea to get tested,” Dane said. “It might be the only way to diagnose what is wrong with you or your loved one.”

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